Experiences of marginalized women pursuing doctoral degrees in chemistry: The critical role of recognition

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Autori principali: Tamera Jones, Rehnuma Ahmed, Elizabeth Cieza, Justin M. Pratt, Maia Popova
Natura: Artículo Open Access
Pubblicazione: Wiley 2024
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author Tamera Jones
Rehnuma Ahmed
Elizabeth Cieza
Justin M. Pratt
Maia Popova
author_facet Tamera Jones
Rehnuma Ahmed
Elizabeth Cieza
Justin M. Pratt
Maia Popova
Tamera Jones
Rehnuma Ahmed
Elizabeth Cieza
Justin M. Pratt
Maia Popova
collection Wiley Open Access
contents Experiences of marginalized women pursuing doctoral degrees in chemistry: The critical role of recognition Tamera Jones Rehnuma Ahmed Elizabeth Cieza Justin M. Pratt Maia Popova Journal of Research in Science Teaching AbstractEven though marginalized women are earning more doctoral degrees in chemistry than ever before, the proportion of women who complete chemistry doctorates does not reflect national population trends. Previous research has explored the experiences of marginalized women seeking chemistry doctorate degrees. These studies highlight the issues that marginalized women face but do not explain why they face them or the systemic issues that underpin these experiences. This study captures the firsthand experiences of marginalized domestic and international women (Black, Hispanic/Latina, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous) pursuing graduate degrees in chemistry. We conducted semi‐structured interviews with 29 participants to understand how their social identities might impact the development of their science identities. Intersectionality and the Science Identity Model informed both the interview guide and the interpretation of our data. Deductive and inductive coding, constant comparative analysis, and thematic analysis were used to examine the interplay between participants' identities and experiences. We found that recognition had a critical impact on women's science identities. Results show that participants received more positive recognition than negative from their academic community. The participants who received mostly positive recognition developed research, teaching, and altruistic science identities. Most of the positive recognition was associated with research accomplishments, which is not surprising since doctoral programs in chemistry focus primarily on research training. Conversely, the participants who received mostly negative forms of recognition developed disrupted science identities. These women described being tokenized, taken advantage of, and having their accomplishments dismissed because of their gender, race, and ethnicity. Additionally, sexist and racist comments surrounding appearance, speech, and demeanor contributed to a diminished sense of being taken seriously and, consequently, feeling less like a scientist. 10.1002/tea.21986 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
doi_str_mv 10.1002/tea.21986
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spellingShingle Experiences of marginalized women pursuing doctoral degrees in chemistry: The critical role of recognition
Tamera Jones
Rehnuma Ahmed
Elizabeth Cieza
Justin M. Pratt
Maia Popova
Journal of Research in Science Teaching
Experiences of marginalized women pursuing doctoral degrees in chemistry: The critical role of recognition Tamera Jones Rehnuma Ahmed Elizabeth Cieza Justin M. Pratt Maia Popova Journal of Research in Science Teaching AbstractEven though marginalized women are earning more doctoral degrees in chemistry than ever before, the proportion of women who complete chemistry doctorates does not reflect national population trends. Previous research has explored the experiences of marginalized women seeking chemistry doctorate degrees. These studies highlight the issues that marginalized women face but do not explain why they face them or the systemic issues that underpin these experiences. This study captures the firsthand experiences of marginalized domestic and international women (Black, Hispanic/Latina, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous) pursuing graduate degrees in chemistry. We conducted semi‐structured interviews with 29 participants to understand how their social identities might impact the development of their science identities. Intersectionality and the Science Identity Model informed both the interview guide and the interpretation of our data. Deductive and inductive coding, constant comparative analysis, and thematic analysis were used to examine the interplay between participants' identities and experiences. We found that recognition had a critical impact on women's science identities. Results show that participants received more positive recognition than negative from their academic community. The participants who received mostly positive recognition developed research, teaching, and altruistic science identities. Most of the positive recognition was associated with research accomplishments, which is not surprising since doctoral programs in chemistry focus primarily on research training. Conversely, the participants who received mostly negative forms of recognition developed disrupted science identities. These women described being tokenized, taken advantage of, and having their accomplishments dismissed because of their gender, race, and ethnicity. Additionally, sexist and racist comments surrounding appearance, speech, and demeanor contributed to a diminished sense of being taken seriously and, consequently, feeling less like a scientist. 10.1002/tea.21986 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
title Experiences of marginalized women pursuing doctoral degrees in chemistry: The critical role of recognition
topic Journal of Research in Science Teaching
url https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tea.21986